1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a cleaning cassette for a magnetic tape recorder wherein the cleaning cassette is introduced into the magnetic tape recorder instead of a magnetic tape cassette. The cleaning cassette contains a cleaning device for cleaning the magnetic head of the recorder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is already notoriously known to employ a cassette for cleaning a magnetic head and a tape drive roller for the magnetic tape in a magnetic tape recorder, this cassette being inserted into the magnetic tape recorder means instead of a cassette provided with the magnetic tape. Instead of the magnetic tape, these cleaning cassettes contain cleaning devices for the magnetic head and may also contain cleaning devices for the tape drive roller driving the magnetic tape. Such cleaning cassettes are disclosed, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,158, or by U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,796, both incorporated herein by reference. In these known cleaning cassettes, the cleaning mechanism for the magnetic head is respectively driven by a drive arrangement which normally drives the reels having the magnetic tape in the magnetic tape cassette. It is thus possible to simultaneously clean the magnetic head and the tape drive roller since the cleaning elements for the magnetic head and for the tape drive roller are situated side-by-side at the same side of the magnetic tape cassette.
Magnetic tape recorder means are known wherein a magnetic tape cassette is employed with the tape being moved via a tape drive means and the reel being also driven via a rubber band embracing the reels. A cleaning cassette for such a magnetic tape recorder means has likewise already been proposed (European Patent Application No. 86104435.2) wherein a cleaning mechanism for the magnetic head is driven by the tape drive roller. Since the tape drive roller is employed for the drive of the cleaning device, its simultaneous cleaning with this cleaning cassette is not possible without further steps being taken.